Josh Brolin’s Green Lantern Casting Gets Mixed Reactions from Fans

Josh Brolin has reportedly been offered the role of Hal Jordan / Green Lantern in the upcoming Lanterns series, an entry in James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DC Universe (DCU) franchise. Brolin is no stranger to comic book projects. He has portrayed Thanos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Cable in Deadpool 2. In the second Deadpool movie, he worked opposite Ryan Reynolds, who depicted Hal Jordan in the ill-fated 2011 film Green Lantern. Brolin has also forayed into the world of DC characters in the past, essaying the eponymous role in the 2010 feature Jonah Hex. Predictably, the reports of Brolin’s casting have drawn a wide range of reactions from the fans — some positive, some negative, and some outright hilarious.

Josh Brolin reportedly offered Hal Jordan’s Green Lantern role in DC series

Josh Brolin might join the DCU as Hal Jordan if the recent industry rumors are to be believed. Neither Brolin nor anyone at the DCU and Warner Bros. have addressed these rumors yet. But if that’s true, it potentially underscores the long-term plans that Gunn and Safran have for the character.

Back in December 2022, Gunn confirmed in a post on X (formerly, Twitter) that the content revolving around the Green Lantern Corps was “important” to the DCU. During his tenure as Thanos, Brolin demonstrated that he could convincingly portray the same comic book character across multiple movies. Add to this the fact that Brolin is an Academy Award-nominated actor with a diverse filmography, and it makes sense for DC to approach him for the role.

Fans are divided over Josh Brolin’s Green Lantern casting choice

The fans took to social media to express how they felt about Brolin’s potential casting as Hal Jordan.

An X user with the handle @nickuva called it an “inspired choice,” and added, “Test pilots are not 23-year-old hotshots. And he can project the menace and tinge of arrogance I’d expect from this character. He shouldn’t be played clownishly the way he was in their recent animated films.”

However, not everyone responded to the rumors as positively. According to @milkias_samuel , there are better actors for the role. “I love Josh Brolin, and he was as superb as Thanos, but I’m sorry, I cannot see him as Hal Jordan. He’s usually a more serious actor, and while Im okay with an older Hal Jordan, Hal being 56 in the DCU feels wrong. I mean, there are so many better choices,” the post read.

Meanwhile, @TrulyTigress humorously speculated on how Reynolds would react to the news. In the post, they shared a BBC Radio clip of Brolin teasing Reynolds about the Green Lantern movie.

“Ryan Reynolds exact reaction after learning that Josh Brolin will be playing Hal Jordan in the new Green Lantern,” they wrote in the caption.